RIGNANO SULL’ARNO, Tuscany — Torre a Cona has restored its 1729 cellar and opened a new glass pavilion in the estate park for the 2026 season, giving guests two new ways to experience the property.

The restored cellar, called the Cantina Storica (historic cellar), now holds the estate’s entire archive of vintages. The property has been run by the Rossi di Montelera family since 1935, with a winemaking tradition dating to the nineteenth century.

Such spaces are in demand across Italian hospitality. “Creating outdoor spaces immersed in nature is an added value that is increasingly sought after in resorts and country estates,” said Daniele Saladini, general manager of the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & Spa in Rome. “Whether it is a hillside terrace or a spot surrounded by greenery, these are perfect places for exclusive dinners and tastings, offering an atmosphere that indoor spaces cannot provide.”

“It is a trend that fits perfectly with the evolution of hospitality,” he told Italy Now.

Vintage archive

Here the estate’s history becomes something to taste, one glass at a time. At its centre, a table for 10 hosts vertical tastings of older vintages, guided wine pairings, and wine education for visitors who want more than a tour.

Fattoria Torre a Cona Società Agricola Srl, the estate’s owner, has expanded hospitality in recent years alongside its 19 hectares of vineyard, and the Cantina Storica extends that project into the property’s oldest spaces.

Guests who once passed through the cellar on a quick tour can now sit inside it, older vintages poured beside the barrels among stone walls, half light, and the scent of aged wood.

Glass pavilion

At the Osteria di Torre a Cona, the estate’s restaurant, the addition works differently. La Serra (the greenhouse) is a wrought iron and glass structure set in the garden around the restaurant, designed so guests feel outdoors while under cover.

Natural light moves through the glass over the day, and a chandelier with a canopy shade in beige and ecru sets the room’s mood.

Shared rooms

The two projects answer the same question from opposite directions. One keeps centuries of Tuscan winemaking history intact below ground, the other opens a framed view onto the garden above.

Torre a Cona is one of several Tuscan estates building spaces where history and hospitality share the same room, rather than sending guests to separate wings for a wine tour and a meal.